A blog of the writings and thoughts of free thinker, teacher, engineer and all-around knowledge buff. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Global Politics, Education, Physics, English Football and Speculative Fiction.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Big Bang Super Quiz

1. According to the Big Bang Theory the universe emerged from a ………2. This scientist coined the term Big Bang who was he?3. What is expanding as a result of the Big Bang?4. What is the best estimate for the Age of the Universe?5. Which force was the first to separate from the other fundamental forces?6. With what is Alan Guth most associated?7. Which Catholic Priest developed an early version of the Big Bang where matter emerges from a primordial ‘atom’?8. What is meant by the term CBR?9. What does the inverse of Hubble’s constant give one?10. How did Edwin Hubble determine that the Universe is expanding?11. Which observatory was Hubble’s laboratory?12. What sub-atomic particles joined to form nucleons during the nucleosynthesis era?13. What role did Cepheid Variables play in the development of the Big Bang Theory?14. Which of the Three Cosmological Principles was shattered by the Big Bang Theory?15. Which two Cosmological Principles still remain intact (for now)?16. This modern day popularizer of science (scourge of the chiropractor society) and author of Fermat’s Last Theorem wrote a book on the History of the Big Bang. Who is he?17. Which Russian mathematician is associated with the early development of the Big Bang Model from its theoretical foundations in General Relativity?18. What did Einstein call his greatest mistake?19. Who was Ralph Alpher’s chief partner in the early theoretical modelling of the Big Bang?20. What entity seems to be causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate?21. Whether the universe expands or collapses in a Big Crunch is ultimately dependent on this factor associated with its mass and volume. What is the factor?22. What is the earliest time from the origin of the universe that the laws of physics can be reasonably applied?23. What are Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson most noted for?24. What theory was the leading competitor to the Big Bang at the time of the latter’s introduction?25.This physicist wrote about the Big Bang in his celebrated work – ‘The First Three Minutes’. Who is he?26. What is the shape of the universe spatially?27. The imbalance between matter and anti-matter in the universe is also known as ?28. What was the name of the spacecraft launched on 30th June 2001 to study radiant heat from the Big Bang?29. In M-Theory this term is short for a membrane. What is it?30. An omega cosmological parameter that is less than 1 indicates a …………….. universe.

Big Bang Answers

1. Singularity2. Fred Hoyle – as a term of derision. Hoyle was a Steady Stater.3. Space (not matter)4. 13.7 billion years old5. Gravity6. Inflationary Expansion Theory7. Georges Lemaître8. Cosmic Background Radiation – The Echo of the Big Bang9. The Age of the Universe10. By analyzing the Red Shift on the spectra of Light coming from distant galaxy11. Mount Wilson12. Quarks13. These standard candle stars allow for an accurate estimate of galactic distances14. The non-changing nature of the Universe15. Isotropy and Homogeneity16. Simon Singh17. Alexander Friedmann18. The Cosmological Constant (as it turned out it wasn’t a mistake at all)19. George Gamow (One of the Greatest minds in modern physics)20. Dark Energy (makes up 73% of the mass of the universe)21. Critical Density22. 10E-43sec23. They both one Nobel Prizes for discovering evidence of the Cosmic Background Radiation24. Steady State Theory25. Steven Weinberg26. It is flat27. Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe28. Baryon asymmetry29. Branes (there is a theory that the universe was born from the collision of two branes)30. Closed

I believe in the existence of a single power, an entity of unimaginable intelligence whose true essence cannot be defined. For convenience I will call this being God. It is God who created all of this universe and all possible universes past, present and future. Who or what God is supersedes explanation. God can destroy the universe as simply as it was created for God transcends all that is matter, energy and spirit. God is one.

I am best described as a Classical Liberal in that I champion democracy, human rights, private ownership of property, free enterprise, meritocracy, high levels of education, the rule of law and a complete openess to discussion and debate within society.

A person's ability to solve a problem depends on the perspective that you view yourself in relation to the problem. Always look down at the problem as though you are its master. Look up to the problem and you are lost from the beginning

Express the rhythm of one's thoughts in poetry but be careful not to allow the rhythm to dominate the ideas. It is the idea that is always paramount.